Sunday, April 3, 2011
The Diggers at Six Mile Pub - April 3, 2011
On Sunday the Lifecycles Project (http://lifecyclesproject.c
The owners and kitchen management staff are enthusiastic about the pub growing its own food and have built four amazing 40 foot raised beds. On this day we were here to add topsoil and sow the first Spring seeds of lettuce, radish, turnips, carrots and to plant a few seed potatoes.
The Lifecycles Project is a non-proft group dedicated to education and promoting urban agriculture in Victoria, BC. The Diggers are named after the 15th Century English movement that was started by farmers in protest of the dividing of common lands to private ownership. The Lifecycles Project Diggers are a bunch of volunteers enthusiastic about setting up gardens for other people, organizations or private businesses so they can learn to grow their own food.
Today we had a great brunch to start the day and then had an awesome time putting the vision of the Six Mile Pub into reality. And it didn't rain!
Ancient Forest Alliance Hike to Avatar Grove, March 27, 2011
Last Sunday I joined a hike to Avatar Grove to see some of the last old-growth trees on Southern Vancouver Island. The 2 hectare stand of old-growth was found by T.J. Watt and a friend and is located in an active logging area. The stand is quite accessible from a logging road just 20 mins. from Port Renfrew. Juan de Fuca Provincial Marine Park is located at the other end of town. (For an awesome HD video of the Avatar Grove with T.J. check out: http://vimeo.com/20910822)
The hike was attended by over 30 people and hosted by T.J., who is part of the Ancient Forest Alliance, www.ancientforestalliance.org a non-profit set up to lobby government to protect the last remaining old-growth stands, and to promote sustainable forestry.
The hike itself is "off-trail" as AFA doesn't have permission to build trails in an active logging area, but the landscape is spectacular. We were lucky that the sun appeared for most of the time.
The old-growth trees are mostly cedars, which were left by previous logging operations as it was not a commercially viable species to cut down last time the forest was clearcut.
There are a few old-growth Douglas Fir left amongst the Western Hemlock that has grown up since logging took place. (We live in Coastal Western Hemlock and Coastal Douglas Fir Biogeoclimatic Zones).
However, as soon as Western Hemlock and Cedar become commercially profitable to harvest, there is a good possibility that these magnificent trees will be gone for good.
Help to save these trees by signing the petition on the Ancient Forest Alliance website!
However, as soon as Western Hemlock and Cedar become commercially profitable to harvest, there is a good possibility that these magnificent trees will be gone for good.
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